Diving apparatus



Dec. 13, 1932. v R. H, DAVIS 1,890,570

DIVING APPARATUS Filed July 19, 1929 a I Ina/anion Patented Dec. 13, 1932 1,890,570

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERTHENRY DAVIS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND DIVING APPARATUS Application filed July 19, 1929, Serial No. 379,502, and in Great Britain October 3, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements in curing the said doors and f in the closed diving apparatus and has for its object to position. provide means whereby a diver. can undergo g is a flexible tube connected between the the usual decompressing process under comchamber a at hand an air supply on a diving fortable conditions free of the water instead vessel on the surface of the water, for supof its being efiected under water in the usual plying compressed air to'the said chamber, way. 7 and z is a cable containing leads for tele- According to the present invention there phonic communication between the chamber is provided apparatus for transporting and the said vessel on the surface of the wa- 10 divers which comprises a chamber having ter and for the supply of electricity there- 69 disposed at the lower end thereof an entrance, from for lighting and other purposes. adapted to be lowered to a predetermined j is a cylinder of compressed oxygen, or level in water, means either within or eX- other suitable respiratory gas for supply to ternally of the chamber for supplyingv the the diver, as hereinafter described. is and Z said chamber with compressed air, means for are depth and pressure gauges respectively,

closing the entrance after a'diver has passed and m is a movable ladder. n is the shotinto the chamber from the water, and means rope of the diver extending through guidefor gradually reducing the air pressure witheyes 0, oon the chamber a.

in the said chamber. The chamber a with, or without, an attend- In a suitable arrangement for carrying the ant A inside it and with the door 7 open and invention into eifect, the chamber is provided he l dder m placed so as to depend from the with an entrance door and an exit door both entrance in the floor d, is lowered in the water of which open inwardly, sothat excess of into a predetermined level representing the ternal pressure over external pressure presses v t d compression stage, a r being them on to their seatings, and these two door 'supplled to the chamber at a pressure sufiipreferably hinged, are arranged one) i th cient to keep the same free of water at whatfloor of the chamber permitting the diver to ever pth the chamber may be submerged.

pass into the chamber when under water,and dlvel" on 7 ascent y the p n th oth r door in th to o id f th 1 cllmbs the ladder m and enters the chamber a her permitting the divers exit from the through the OWeI doorway, his air-pipe h b h above Waten andtelephone cable 9 connect on being d1s- T bl th i ti t b f 11 d connected, In the case of the dlver Wearing a stood the same will be described by referselfcontalned typ e of dlvmg dress: there a ence to the accompanying drawing which is of course, no air-plpe to the surtace to be d1s- 85 a Sectional elevation of a diving chamber connected. The ladder m 18 then lifted into losed and the constructed in accordance w1th the inventlon g iggg fig g l$225233 on b 01rd a n L and showing it in use. 0 I

Referring to the g a is the closed the diving vessel where the process of decomression is com leted in comfort. 40 chamber, which is shown as of uprlght cyllnp p It will, of course, be understood that the 0 ducal 01m and compnses a cyhndrlcal Wan moment the diver reaches the chamber a, the

b d atop and floor v respectiv 3 6 and first stage of the decompression period be- 7 are two hinged doors arranged, respective i i ya' the p 0 and the floor (Z, and gn To accelerate the expulsion of nitrogen to bear against Seat-h1g5 thereon w both from the divers bodyafter working at great doors are closed and arranged-t0 p depths, and so shorten the decompression wardly, so that excess of internal pressure ti th di y breathe oxygen, or other Over External P s Presses the dOOIS suitable gas,by way of abreathing apparatus, tightly on to the said seatings. Suitable not shown, connected to the cylinder 50 means, such as screws, are employed for se- After the decompression is completed, the

' diver leaves the chamber preferably by the upper door e through the medium of the ladder m.

Although the exit door e has been described as being arranged in the top 0 of the chamber a it is to be understood that it may be arranged in the side wall I) of the said chamber.

It willeof course be understood that immediately the diver enters the chamber a and either before or after the door 7' is closed, he

may be divested of his dress without delay and can receive hot drink and food.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the diver after returning to the chamber, commences immediately to decompress and can be drawn as rapidly as is practicable to the surface where the process of decompression can be completed conveniently and without discomfort and without regard toweather conditions. The diver is thereby protected from 7 unnecessary exposure to cold water and from the monotony of the usual lengthy decompression stages. the decompression being carried out mainly at the surface under comfortable conditions.

Iclaim. Apparatus for transporting divers to the surface from the first decompression stage of an ascent, which comprises a chamberadapt ed to be lowered to the first decompression stage of a diver in Water and having in the floorthereof an entrance for a diver, means for supplying the chamber with a sufficiency of air at the pressure prevailing at the depth of the first decompression stage to prevent the chamber when lowered from becoming flooded with Water, a door opening inwardly for closing said entrance after the diver has passed into the chamber from the water, means for gradually reducing the air pressure within said chamber tonormal atmos pheric pressure after closure of the entrance door andjat least one exit in thestructure of the chamber above the floor thereof, and a door for said exit arranged to open inwardly.

ROBERT HENRY DAVIS. 

